office in a city
further west. Consequently, Selma could feel free from molestation or an
appeal to her sensibilities. She preferred to think of Babcock as
completely outside her life, as dead to her, and she would have disliked
the possibility of meeting him in the flesh while shopping on Central
avenue. It had been the only drawback to her proposed return to Benham.

During the years of Selma's second marriage Benham had waxed rapidly in
population and importance. People had been attracted thither by the
varied industries of the city--alike those in search of fortune, and
those offering themselves for employment in the mills, oil-works, and
pork factories; and at the date of Littleton's death it boasted over one
hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. It was already the second city
of the State in point of population, and was freely acknowledged to be
the most wide-awake and enterprising. The civic spirit of Benham was
reputed to be constantly and increasingly alert and progressive,
notwithstanding the river Nye still ran the color of bean-soup above
where it was drawn for drinking purposes, and the ability of a plumber,
who had become an alderman, to provide a statue or lay out a public park
was still unquestioned by the majority. Even to-day, when trained
ability has obtained recognition in many quarters, the Benhamites at
large are apt to resent criticism as aristocratic fault-finding; yet at
this time that saving minority of souls who refused to regard everything
which Benham did as perfection, and whose subsequent forlorn hopes and
desperately won victories have little by little taught the community
wisdom, if not modesty, was beginning to utter disagreeable strictures.

Mrs. Margaret Rodney Earle, when she opened her arms to Selma and folded
her to her bosom with a hug of welcome, was raging inwardly against this
minority, and they had not been many minutes together before she gave
utterance to her grievance.

"You have come just in time to give us your sympathy and support in an
important matter, my dear. Miss Bailey has been nominated for the School
Board at the instance of the Executive Committee of the Benham
Institute. We supposed that she would have plain sailing, for many of
the voters have begun to recognize the justice of having one or two
women on the School Board, and by hard work we had succeeded in getting
her name put on the Democratic ticket. Judge, then, of our feelings when
we learned that the